Dutchmen too much for Engineers -- again

SCHENECTADY >> Oh , so typical. Union College ran its winning streak over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Technology to nine games on Friday night, beating the Engineers, 4-3, in much the same fashion as they have in the past; being a little bit sharper, being a little tougher along the boards, getting to a few more loose pucks and just finding a way to win.

Sophomore right winger Nick Cruice, filling in for regular Kevin Sullivan, scored a pair of goals for Union, as the Dutchmen (5-3-2 overall) improved to 4-1-0 in ECAC Hockey and sent a message to USCH Online pollsters to “hey, take a look at us.”

The Dutchmen built a 4-1 lead with a pair of goals -- by Eli Lichtenwald and Cruice -- in the first 1:48 of the third period.

The 10th-ranked Engineers, now 2-2-2 and 6-3-2, could have allowed incurred a four-, five-goal defeat but roared back shortly after Cruice beat RPI goalie Scott Diebold through the 5-hole while rushing down the slot on a 3-on-2 breakout.

Matt Neal scored both third-period goals to bring the Engineers back and Ryan Haggerty appeared to slide a loose puck into the net just after the final horn sounded.

Brock Higgs tallied the other goal for the Engineers, who’ll try to end the Union hex tonight (7) at Houston Field House.

“We turrned a couple pucks over (early in the third period),” Rensselaer coach Seth Appert said. “They (Union) did a good job in transition. They’re a very good team ... real good players.

“You turn pucks over against any team,” Appert continued, “especially against a team of high quality and (the puck) can end up in the back of your net real quick.”

Indeed. Cruice’s first goal came on a turnover, breaking a 1-1 tie with 6:43 remaining in the second period.

Shayne Gostisbehere stole the puck near the goal line, and fed Mike Vecchione, who set up Cruice for a 12-foot shot that beat Diebold.

After Cruice made it 4-1, the Engineers rallied.

Haggerty set up Neal’s first goal with a rush down the slot.

“Haggs had great speed going through the middle,” Neal said. “I thought he was going to take it all the way. I just wanted to get to the back post, I thought he was going to rip it. He kind of faked a shot, went around the (defenseman) and gave it right too me. It was a great pass.”

That goal came at 3:08, then a pair of Dutchmen penalties 21 seconds apart midway through the period set up the Engineers.

Jacob Laliberte fed Neal down the right side.

“On the 5-on-3 power play,” Neal said, “the puck was bobbling a little bit, so I wanted to make a safe play, so I just walked in, put it like 13 inches on the right side because he (Union goalie Troy Stevens) dropped a little bit, dropped that right pad down and it went right in.”

Neal said he “felt like I owed the team at least one goal because I was the cause of (Union’s) second goal.”

It was the Dutchmen’s third tally, by Lichtenwald, on which Neal gave the puck away, making the score 4-1.

“So, I felt like I owed them one.”

After Neal’s second goal, the 5-on-3 that brought the Engineers to the final count, 38 seconds still remained on the second Union penalty but the Engineers couldn’t get another. They had another power play late in the game but came up short.

Neal said the Engineers had planned to “come out strong but we had a couple hiccups.”

Those hiccups put the Engineers into a 4-1 hole.

“That kind of locked us back into it and we decided as a team that we needed to be better,” Neal said. “We started talking on the bench and we got into it. I think it was a good effort by our guys...but it was a little too late. We need to have that bite, going into the third period, especially on the road.”

“We need to take that push in the third an apply it the whole 60 minutes (tonight),” RPI captain Matt Tinordi said.

On a Union power play early in the game, the puck was cleared through the neutral zone with Higgs chasing it. Union goalie Troy Stevens gambled that he could get to the puck first -- and lost. The puck glanced off Higgs and into the net for a 1-0 RPI lead.

Daniel Ciampini tied the game 1-1 with a deflection goal on a power play -- a questionable boarding call on Zalewski -- at 13:47 of the first.

Then the Dutchmen took control of the game and the Engineers were a bit sloppy with the puck.

“I think that was late in the second period,” Appert said. “We weren’t as good as I’d like us to be with the puck and in possession time in the first two periods, due to penalties we took, there were too many penalties. It’s hard. You’re killing (too much of the time) and we did a pretty job killing tonight, just that one deflection goal (by Ciampini). But you’re killing important minutes and you’re tiring out good players and I just thought we weren’t hard enough and therefore, (Union) had more possession time than us in the first two periods.”

While he was pleased with the Engineers’ comeback effort, Appert said, “it’s expected. It shouldn’t be applauded.

“I don’t think I coach quitters,” he said, “so I’m not going to go in an applaud the effort. Your talking about competitive young men, a pretty good hockey team. Never once did I consider that they wouldn’t keep battling and they did but continuing to fight to the end isn’t something to be applauded, it should be expected.”